Regarding Brock as Venom vs Peter in the black suit. Strengthwise.

Why was Eddie Brock stronger than Pete as Venom?Was the suit ineffective in bumping up Pete's strength. Brock worked out to make himself stronger as Venom.Pete not at fucking all!He was already significantly enhanced. Did it(the spider bite)prevent the suit from amping him?Or was it just the suit could go no further with him?

They've explained it as Eddie being already a big dude but later writers have hinted that symbiotes feed off anger and insanity, making them stronger. Since Eddie, Cletus, etc. are generally terrible people and Peter isn't, the strength boost wasn't significant.

It was explicitly stated that the symbiote didn't boost Peter's strength during the original Alien Costume Saga.

Brock said this was because Peter already had augmented strength, but this has since been somewhat contradicted, as Peter was boosted by the symbiote when he later wore it as Superior Venom (to a level allowing him to stand up to Thor). To my knowledge though, the idea that it didn't boost his strength during the Alien Costume Saga has never been contradicted.

I wouldn't look too hard for an in-universe explanation for why it didn't boost his strength originally, because there really isn't one, or at least not a consistent one. The real reason the suit didn't boost Peter's strength originally is because the idea that it was even capable of boosting the host's strength was a soft retcon established a couple of years after the Alien Costume Saga to facilitate the introduction of Venom. The author who created Venom and Carnage (David Michelinie) had nothing to do with the original symbiote arc, and was simply using it (and Peter David's Sin-Eater arc) as a springboard for his own story.

^^^Works for me, but, its always fun to theorize. Its how guys like Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek take all these different, sometimes contradictory tidbits that crop up from several writers handling the same characters/concepts several years apart (like you pointed out) and weave something completely new.I like writers who dont just steamroll the past, but rather, sculpt it.

My old pet theory was that the symbiote didn't initially possess the power to augment the host's strength until it learned how to copy and reproduce Spider-Man's powers. Peter didn't benefit from this since he already had those powers, but the non-powered Brock did, and became stronger than Peter since he was specifically given the proportionate strength of a spider, which is the alleged basis of Peter's own strength level.

This theory fits with the original Alien Costume Saga and most of the early Venom appearances, but some later stories have since contradicted it.

It was explicitly stated that the symbiote didn't boost Peter's strength during the original Alien Costume Saga.

Brock said this was because Peter already had augmented strength, but this has since been somewhat contradicted, as Peter was boosted by the symbiote when he later wore it as Superior Venom (to a level allowing him to stand up to Thor). To my knowledge though, the idea that it didn't boost his strength during the Alien Costume Saga has never been contradicted.

I wouldn't look too hard for an in-universe explanation for why it didn't boost his strength originally, because there really isn't one, or at least not a consistent one. The real reason the suit didn't boost Peter's strength originally is because the idea that it was even capable of boosting the host's strength was a soft retcon established a couple of years after the Alien Costume Saga to facilitate the introduction of Venom. The author who created Venom and Carnage (David Michelinie) had nothing to do with the original symbiote arc, and was simply using it (and Peter David's Sin-Eater arc) as a springboard for his own story.

Been a bit since I've read this. Clearly remember it in my collection though. That makes sense overall. It's always bugged me how it didn't amp Pete. But, everyone else it did. I mean shit. As stated later it put him on the level of Thor. Which, I'd expect. I mean fuck Brock's survived Jugg's and other's that have given Spidey hell.